The Caribbean Castle of a Countess Asks $15 Million

On the island of St. Croix, the white structure was built by the late Countess Nadia de Navarro-Farber.

An eccentric, faux-Moorish Caribbean castle is listing for $15 million.

The domed white structure sits on roughly 102 acres overlooking the coastline on the island of St. Croix, according to real-estate agent Peter Briggs of John Foster Real Estate, which is listing the property with Calabash Real Estate. Designed and built by the late Countess Nadia de Navarro-Farber, who completed it in 1989, the castle measures about 10,000 square feet with six bedrooms, he said. Accessed by a steep, circular road and surrounded by terraced gardens, the dramatic setting would be “a wonderful backdrop for a James Bond-type of movie,” Mr. Briggs said.

On the interior, a domed ceiling is painted to resemble a blue sky with clouds, and there is a large column in the shape of a flower—its petals are built into the ceiling. Outside there is a swimming pool with a pool house and a three-bedroom gatekeeper’s cottage.

The beachfront estate also includes a private pier that was once part of the former Fairleigh Dickinson University West Indies Laboratory, which the countess bought in the 1990s after it was closed due to damage in Hurricane Hugo. The lab buildings, now mostly unused, are zoned to allow commercial use, Mr. Briggs said, so a buyer could turn that portion of the estate into a resort or restaurant.

Born in Bulgaria, the countess lived primarily on Long Island but spent roughly four months a year on St. Croix, during which time she entertained frequently. There “was quite a lot of lore and folklore about the contessa and the amazing lifestyle she led,” Mr. Briggs said. Husband Yuri Farber is selling because he doesn’t spend as much time in St. Croix since his wife’s death in 2014, according to Mr. Briggs. Mr. Farber couldn’t be reached for comment.

Christie’s International Real Estate is providing international marketing.